A Story with No Middle
by Ryeloza
Summary: The beginnings and endings of Tom and Lynette's first three dates. Based around some of the ideas in the season six episode "Lovely."


**Disclaimer: **_Desperate Housewives _so isn't mine. Ya'll know.

**Story Summary: **The beginnings and endings of Tom and Lynette's first three dates. Based around some of the ideas in the season six episode "Lovely." Please be warned that the M-rating is there for a reason.

**A/n: **Feedback is always, always welcome. Please review and let me know what you think.

**A Story with No Middle**

By **Ryeloza**

_**First Date**_

"So I think you and I should go out on a date."

Lynette licked the spoon she'd used to stir the cream into her coffee and purposely didn't look at Tom. Ever since they'd kissed on an ill-fated business trip a few weeks ago, Tom had been badgering her to go out with him; Lynette had yet to give in, though she found his persistence hard to resist. "You've mentioned that," she said, going to the sink to quickly wash the spoon. "More than once."

"Well I haven't heard the answer I wanted yet."

At this, Lynette glanced at him, raising a querying eyebrow. Tom shrugged. "That sounded better in my head."

"Uh-huh."

Tom took a few steps toward her and picked up the coffeepot to pour himself a mug. "We had one hell of a kiss."

"That we decided not to mention again."

"You decided. Personally, I'm replaying it in my head right now."

"Tom…"

"Lynette…" There was a fondness in his mimicking that made her smile, but unfortunately, Tom seemed to take it as a sign that he was wearing her down. "One little date. We'll keep it casual."

Lynette shook her head. "You can't date someone who's dating someone else."

"The kind of dating I'm doing with Annabel isn't the kind of dating I want to do with you."

"Huh. Should I be flattered or insulted by that?"

In a bold move, Tom put a hand on the small of her back and started to rub his fingers in small circles. Lynette allowed herself a quick moment of indulgence before remembering that they were in the break room at work where anyone could walk in at any time; she stepped away. Tom seemed to accept this for what it was, casually leaning back against the counter and picking up his mug. "I told you how it is with me and Annabel. We…go out—"

"Date."

"—but mostly it's just sex. It doesn't mean anything."

"I've heard that one before. And I'm sure if we go out on a date, another woman is going to hear it about me."

"Lynette, I am not a smooth guy. I've had a couple of serious relationships and in between a few rebounds. Annabel caught me during one of the rebounds; that's all she'll ever be to me."

"Does she know that?"

Tom ignored her; it didn't matter, as Lynette was pretty sure she knew the answer anyway. "Do you want the truth? Because I am totally willing to admit my deep, dark secret to you."

"And that is?"

"I've had a crush on you for awhile now. In a geek likes the popular cheerleader kind of way."

"I wasn't a cheerleader."

"Still." Tom took another step toward her and Lynette took a sip of her coffee so Tom couldn't read the wicked delight she took in the move. He wouldn't ever let this go if she kept encouraging it. "It's why I get tongue-tied around you. It's why it took weeks for me to work up the courage to ask you out. And all I'm asking for now is just one date." He lightly grasped her wrist, running his thumb over the back of her hand. Lynette couldn't fight the tingle that went straight down her spine to her groin just from that little contact.

"One date?"

"One date."

Lynette nodded. She had no idea what she was getting into, but certainly one date couldn't hurt. "Okay," she agreed. "Pick me up at seven."

"Wear something slutty." Lynette shot him a dirty look and Tom held up his hands, surrendering. "I kid! I kid!"

_Sure you do_, she thought ungraciously.

* * *

"So he smacked his head off of the bar and was just lying there on the floor. It took three of us to drag him out to the car and we took him to the hospital."

"Was he okay?"

"He needed stitches and he had a concussion. They wouldn't release him from the hospital in time for us to get to the church, so we had to have the wedding in the hospital room. I thought Jessie was going to kill him. I don't think they talked at all during their honeymoon."

Lynette laughed, perhaps a bit more enthusiastically than she would have under different circumstances, but naturally just the same. Their date had been fantastic—comfortable and flirtatious and funny—and she was flying high on her euphorically good mood. And now, sitting in his parked car in front of her apartment building, Lynette felt a twinge of disappointment that the date was almost over.

Her laughter slowly faded away as she noticed how uneasy he was. His fingers beat out a twitchy rhythm against the steering wheel for a second before he moved his hands to anxiously rub his legs. Seeing him so antsy after a night that had been fraught with easy, natural banter melted some of the doubts she had. Maybe Tom was just a guy genuinely nervous about being out with a girl he liked. With a show of tender mercifulness, Lynette laid her hand on his forearm.

"I had a really good time tonight."

Tom glanced at her and chuckled shakily. "Really?"

"Really."

"Good. I mean, I had a good time too. I mean—"

"Tom." Lynette squeezed his arm and after a moment he lifted his eyes to meet hers. She smiled gently. "There's nothing to be nervous about. It's just me."

"That's why I'm nervous."

If this was an act, Lynette knew that she was dense for hopelessly falling for it; she suspected, though, that this was really just Tom being himself. With another guy in another situation, she might have felt more powerful, but this was Tom. Tom, who attached post-it notes with bad puns to their work just to make her laugh. Tom, who had held open doors for her long before she ever suspected he thought of her as anything other than a co-worker. Tom, who had given her one completely unforgettable kiss a few weeks ago. Suddenly, Lynette felt nervous too.

"Do you like sushi?" asked Tom.

"Not really."

"Me either." He glanced down to where her hand still held his arm and then looked back at her. "I know I said one date, but apparently I can't keep my word. Do you want to go out again sometime?"

Lynette's heart fluttered up into her throat. She did. Even though he was kind of dating someone else; even though they worked together; even though it was probably not the right thing to do for about a hundred different reasons, she wanted to go out with him again. Wordlessly, she unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted to the edge of her seat, leaning forward to rest a hand against Tom's cheek. She boldly let her thumb skip over his lips and said, a little breathlessly, "I'd love to."

"Really?"

"Let's not start that again."

Something in Tom's eyes changed—his nerves overpowered by an unmistakable lust. The look was overwhelming and Lynette shut her eyes, delighted when a second later she felt Tom's lips on hers. He kissed her tentatively and it only lasted seconds, but Lynette was trembling when he pulled away.

"We should do that again too," she said teasingly, and she let her hand drop from his cheek. "Goodnight, Tom."

"Goodnight."

_**

* * *

Second Date**_

Lynette half-hopped, half-stumbled to the door of her apartment, trying to get her shoes on and answer the door at the same time. It was a skill she hadn't quite mastered, so she was bent over fiddling with the strap of her sling-backs when she turned the knob. "Hi," she heard Tom say. She could hear an unwitting chuckle in his voice and she gave one last tug to get her shoe on correctly.

"Hi," she said, standing up. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek that made his eyes widen and she smirked. Unexpectedly, Tom seemed to take it as a challenge, and he wrapped an arm around her back to draw her closer and give her another, less chaste kiss. It was the most forward he'd been in touching her, and Lynette felt her knees go weak.

"Hi," he said again. There was a confidence in his eyes tonight and it slowly dawned on Lynette that she'd unintentionally—maybe a little intentionally—given him a go-ahead signal at the end of their last date. Her overt reluctance to date him had been stripped away and he knew it; the realization was a little humbling.

She smiled shyly and stepped back, putting some space between them. "Let me just grab my purse."

Lynette walked away from the door to collect her purse, thankful that she'd left it nearby so she wouldn't have to invite Tom in to see the utter state of chaos her apartment was in. She hadn't had time to clean lately and the result was cluttered, to say the least.

"You know this light bulb is out," called Tom. She snatched her purse from the table and walked back to the door.

"Uh…yeah," she said distractedly as she turned her key in her lock. "It's been that way for a couple weeks now. It takes some weird bulb. I told the super, but he doesn't exactly hustle." She dropped her keys in her purse and smiled at him. "You ready to go?"

Tom's gaze drifted from the light to her and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

After circling the block twice, Tom finally found a parking space across the street from her building. They were quiet tonight—one of the few differences between the last date and this one. He'd taken her to the same restaurant; he'd ordered the same meal; they'd had another wonderful conversation. Unlike two nights ago, though, Lynette felt a little uneasy, but Tom, who actually took the keys out of the ignition after he parked, didn't seem to notice.

"That was fun," he said simply. Lynette had the feeling that he was trying to get her to break her silence.

"Of course it was."

Tom smiled and shifted a little closer to her; Lynette took the opening to shoot before he made a more serious move. "Why'd you take me there?"

"What?"

"You took me back to the same restaurant. Why?"

"Uh…" Clearly confused, Tom looked like he was fumbling for an explanation. "Why'd I take you back to the same restaurant?"

Lynette rolled her eyes at the dodge. "Is it something clandestine? I mean, did you know that no one you know would see us there? That it wouldn't get back to Annabel?"

"What?" Tom jumped back like she'd shocked him and gaped at her. "I just like that restaurant. I thought you did too. This has nothing to do with Annabel."

Sighing, Lynette shifted in her seat so she turned to face Tom. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just…Look, can I tell you my deep, dark secret?"

Tom squirmed and nodded.

"I have a crush on you too," she said, purposely echoing his words from a few days ago. "In a drama club nerd likes a cute jock kind of way."

Apparently flabbergasted, Tom said distractedly, "I wasn't a jock."

"No, but you are cute," Lynette joked. She reached out and took his hand. "I told myself I couldn't fall for you when you're taken, but that's exactly what happened. And now I'm scared of getting hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's nothing but a well-intentioned promise. We've been on two dates, Tom, and I'm already reading too much into things."

Tom leaned forward as though he intended to kiss her, but then seemed to change his mind. "I'll break up with Annabel."

_And then what happens when you get bored with me?_

"I don't want her. I want you. Only you. Trust me."

Lynette nodded and kissed him. She felt his tongue brush her lower lip, his hand twisting into her hair to pull her closer, and she allowed herself a moment of indulgence before she pulled away. The truth was that she wanted him too; badly. But not just for sex; not just for a good time. She wasn't so sure that Tom felt the same way.

"I should go," she said.

"Don't."

"I have to."

She let Tom kiss her again, but this time when she pulled back she made sure to simultaneously open the door. As she stepped out of the car, she took a second to lean back down and smile at him. "We should go out again," she said. "I want to go out again."

"I do too."

"Good. Sunday?"

Tom nodded. "It's a date."

**

* * *

**_**Third Date  
**_

Lynette used the mirror in the hall to put on her lipstick, glancing nervously at the clock as she did so. Tom was ten minutes late and his tardiness made her tense. Anticipation combined with nerves, she supposed. He'd called her this morning and told her to wear something fancy, so she'd put on her favorite black dress; the one that, when combined with her push-up bra, was magical enough to give her some cleavage. She could only hope that Tom would like the result.

Patting her hair and adjusting the chain of her necklace, Lynette suddenly heard a chair scrape against the floor and someone mutter a curse word from out in the hall. Bewildered, she opened the front door to see what was going on and her mouth dropped open at the sight that greeted her. Tom stood on a chair beside her door in a gorgeous suit, fiddling with the light in her hall.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Changing your light bulb."

Lynette leaned against the door frame and shook her head. "Why?"

"This isn't the best neighborhood. I don't like the idea of you coming home in the dark like that."

"So you're changing my light bulb."

Tom looked down at her and clicked his tongue against his teeth. "I was worried about you, okay? Am I allowed to worry about you?"

The smile that had been tugging at the corners of her mouth suddenly faded away. He was serious. No ulterior motives, no excuses—just the simple truth that he cared about her and he wanted to protect her. Lynette couldn't really remember the last time anyone had felt that way about her.

"There," said Tom, climbing off of the chair. The hall was flush with light now. He clapped his hands together a few times, rubbing imaginary dirt away, and then looked down at her. "Wow. You look amazing."

"You're amazing." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down she could kiss him, sucking his top lip between hers and then opening her mouth to urge his tongue inside. No more playing around; no more questioning. She wanted him.

Tom pulled back, breathing a little heavily. His eyes were glazed over, but he put his hands on her shoulders to keep her at a bit of a distance. "You ready for dinner?"

Lynette smiled. He had no idea what was waiting for dessert.

* * *

"You should just park in the lot," Lynette mentioned off-handedly as Tom drove down her street.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You might as well. And, I mean, you could come up for coffee."

Tom's hands visibly stiffened on the steering wheel and Lynette bit back a grin, grateful that he knew a euphemism when he heard one. "Are you sure?"

Lynette put a hand on his thigh, rubbing him slowly. "I make really good coffee."

"Right." He smiled and made a wide turn to fit into a parking space. "So you liked the dinner, huh?"

"Oh. Yeah, dinner was great," she said, eagerly opening her door. She climbed out of the car almost as quickly as Tom did and he hurried around so he could take her hand in his. "You have good taste."

Tom made some noncommittal noise that she took as a thank you and tugged her along into the building. "You really need some coffee, huh?" she teased.

Abruptly and with an authority she hadn't seen from him before, Tom pressed her against the stairwell wall, his hands on her hips and his lips a breath away from hers. She shut her eyes, taking a shuddery breath as his nose nudged hers. "I really, really do."

They stood for a minute, breathing one another in, reveling in the moment of anticipation, and then Tom took her hand again. They climbed the stairs in silence and by the time they reached her floor, Lynette was already digging through her purse for her keys. She found them by the time they reached her door, but as Tom stood behind her, his fingers lightly traipsing over the skin of her neck and shoulders, she could barely steady her hand enough to unlock the door. Just as he pulled out the clip that fragilely held her hair up, allowing her blonde locks to spill across her shoulders, she managed to open the door. She rushed inside, turning around to face Tom as he pushed the door shut.

"You know," she said on pretense, "I don't think I want coffee anymore."

Tom didn't bother to respond, simply stepping toward her and kissing her hungrily. One of his hands tangled in her hair, the other took a tight hold of her lower back, pulling her toward him. Lynette let her own hands slip under his suit jacket, exploring the taut muscles beneath his shirt with roaming fingers. Without warning, Tom nudged his knee between her legs, and she ground her pelvis against his thigh before abruptly pulling away. Tom seemed ready to protest until she turned around and said quietly, "Can you get the zipper for me?"

Tom leaned down and kissed her shoulder. "My pleasure."

Slowly, Tom gathered her hair in his hands, pulling it gently away from her back. After a moment she let her hands join his, running her fingers over his before taking hold of her hair so he could unzip the dress. He did so agonizingly unhurried, gently bending so he could kiss her spine with every inch of skin he unveiled. By the time the zipper ended, he was on his knees behind her. She took a deep breath and let the dress fall off her shoulders, pooling on the floor at her feet, and then she turned around.

Tom wrapped his arms around her, pulling her toward him so he could kiss her bare stomach. She giggled as his nose nuzzled her bellybutton and she ran her hands over his short hair. After his warm lips pressed kisses all over her torso, he stood back up and Lynette didn't wait a second before pulling off his suit jacket and fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. Tom quickly assisted her, taking the top buttons while she did the lower ones and he didn't stop her when she went to undo his belt too. Just as she nimbly undid the fly of his pants, Tom pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes. Lynette paused, drinking in the sight of his bare chest, but Tom didn't give her much time to enjoy the view before he stepped forward to capture her mouth again. His hands drifted down to her ass and he started walking, mumbling against her lips, "Where's your bedroom?"

Lynette gave a little moan and pulled away. She flicked on a light, barely noticing that Tom's eyes darkened even more at the sight of her in good lighting, took his hand and started to navigate through her still messy living room toward the bedroom. The second Tom caught sight of her bed, he put his hands on her hips and rushed her backward until her knees hit the mattress and she flopped down on her back. She scooted back on the bed until her legs no longer touched the floor while Tom pushed off his pants and boxers.

"Oh. Hello," she said playfully as Tom hooked his fingers under her panties and pulled them off. She sat up, fiddling with the clasp on her bra until it sprung open and then she slowly slipped it off, watching Tom's face. For a minute, they stayed frozen, just drinking in the sight of one another and then Lynette grinned naughtily. With only the slightest hesitation, she crawled toward Tom and knelt in front of him on the edge of the bed, looking up at him as she ran a hand along the length of his dick. His eyes drifted shut at the sensation, and she grinned, pausing a second before reaching out to cup his balls in her hand. She pulled on them gently, not sure how much he could take, and Tom let out a low, fierce groan. She trembled at the sound of it, at the thought of her power to evoke that reaction, and in her moment of triumph, Tom put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed.

Before she could process what had happened, he was on top of her and his mouth settled on her left nipple, alternately biting down and sucking on it. She squirmed beneath him at the sensation, but he only took it as a sign of encouragement. His hand squeezed her other breast, pinching and twisting her nipple for a second before his fingers drifted down her body, pulling her slick lips apart so he could reach her clitoris. Lynette's breath was coming in short gasps now and she began to thrust her pelvis toward him in an effort to increase the friction. Tom slipped a finger inside of her and she gasped, scraping her nails roughly over his back.

"What do you want?" Tom mumbled against her breasts, pressing kisses into them before pulled back to look into her eyes. He began to thrust his finger in and out of her, pausing every so often just to tease her.

"I want you inside of me. I want you to fuck me. Now."

Tom laughed. "Condoms?"

"Top drawer of the nightstand."

Tom kissed her hard, driving his tongue into her mouth as he pulled his hand away from her. Then he rolled off of her to find the condoms. She took the momentary break to catch her breath, but it wasn't long until Tom was back, moving his body so he was directly on top of her. He started to kiss her again, his hands drifting over her body, scalding every inch of her skin. Blindly, Lynette reached out a hand and took hold of his penis, guiding him into her opening. It took a couple of erratic thrusts for him to settle in her, and she threw her head back against the bed, breathing deeply.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Give me a minute. It's been awhile."

Tom, with more patience that she would have given him credit for, held still, kissing her cheeks and nose and forehead while she took time to adjust to the feeling of him inside of her. Slowly, she nodded again and Tom began to move, not thrusting as she expected, but grinding into her in circles. She bit her lip and hissed at the sensation, dragging her hands around to his ass and pushing him more deeply into her. Tom kissed her lips, and then pulled out of her. She barely managed a whimper before he pushed back in and then without warning he began to pummel her, moving so fast that she lost her breath. After a moment she was able to match his rhythm and she reached her hand down to grab his balls again. This time she wasn't so gentle, tugging at them hard, and Tom responded in kind by using his right hand to finger her clit. His fingers moved in hurried circles and she moaned loudly, intentionally tightening her inner muscles around him. The sensation was too much for Tom, and he came, releasing inside of her with a strangled groan. Lynette squirmed beneath him, so close to her own orgasm, and Tom pinched her clit. Everything seemed to explode around her in a whirl of colors, and Lynette shrieked as she came, wrapping her legs around Tom's back and holding him tightly to her.

Weakly, Tom collapsed, half on top of her, haphazardly pressing kisses into whatever bit of her skin happened to be near his mouth. Lynette ran her hands over his hair, barely able to move herself. Her body was still trembling, her breathing was still heavy, but she felt so very, very alive; hyper-aware of every sensation.

"Maybe we can do this again after the next date," Tom mumbled against her shoulder.

"Mm-hmm."

Tom chuckled and Lynette shut her eyes.

_God bless that blown out light bulb_, she thought.

_-Fin -_


End file.
